A Cambridge man has shared how having a new liver has changed his life - as new figures reveal 65 people in Cambridgeshire have died on the waiting list for a transplant over the past 10 years.

NHS Blood and Transplant has revealed the tragic number of deaths to mark Organ Donation Week this week (September 4-10) and the public body is now urging people to tell their families they want to become donors.

Hundreds of lifesaving transplants are being missed every year because families don’t know what their relative wanted after death.

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Left to make the decision for someone they love, families often decide it is safer to say no.

The reluctance to talk about the issue is contributing to a deadly shortage of organs. In Cambridgeshire, there are currently 54 people waiting for a transplant. They will only receive that life changing call if people make sure their families know they want to be a donor.

Cambridge man Liam Barnett, who has won numerous gold medals for swimming in the World Transplant Games, has now stressed just how important signing up to the NHS Organ Donor Register is.

Liam Barnett had a liver transplant in 2011 and has won numerous gold medals for his swimming (Image: Warren Gunn)

He told the News: “I couldn’t stress enough just how important it is for people to sign up to the organ donor register, not just for me but for others who have a transplant.

“Having a transplant changes the recipient’s lives and the lives of the family around them. Both your lives and your family’s lives are on standstill waiting for that call.

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To be given that extra chance at life is one of the most inspirational things I have ever seen, and the way organ donors change lives is just incredible.”

Liam was warned he might need to be on the waiting list for a new liver for three to six months, but was only on it for one week after suffering severe liver failure and coming very close to losing his life.

Liam Barnett says having a liver transplant in 2011 gave him a new chance at life - pictured here is his scar from the transplant

He added: “I got the call at 3am and waited 12 hours in hospital before actually having the transplant. I know some people who are on the transplant list for ages, years and years.

“The time on the waiting list is tough, you’re not allowed to stray from a certain distance away from the hospital and have to be prepared for a call at all times.

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“The NHS and Addenbrooke’s Hospital have both been subject to a lot of criticism in recent times, but I have to say that my experience – and continued experience of being a transplant patient since 2011 – has been amazing.

“We also have an Addenbrooke’s Transplant Games team which is just fantastic for peer support – you get to meet so many people who have had transplants and you see just how much their lives have changed.

Liam Barnett on the podium at the World Transplant Games in 2013

“You compete as a hospital team against teams all across the country; and it’s great to get that extra advice and support from others who have also had transplants.”

NHS Blood and Transplant wants everyone in Cambridgeshire to be able to save lives through organ donation - and not be prevented from doing so because they have not told a relative their decision.

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Anthony Clarkson, Assistant Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “It’s a tragedy that people are dying unnecessarily every year in Cambridgeshire waiting for transplants.

“We know that if everyone who supported donation talked about it and agreed to donate, most of those lives would be saved.

Liam Barnett with transplant swimmers from around the UK at a team-building weekend at Parkside Pool in 2016 (Image: Warren Gunn)

“This Organ Donation Week, tell your family you want to save lives. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. It will also make things much easier for your family to make the right decision.

“If you want to save lives, don’t leave it too late to talk to your family. In Cambridgeshire there are more than 367,000 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register. However if you want to be a donor, your family’s support is still needed for donation to go ahead.

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“If you are unsure about donation, please ask yourselves as a family; what would you do if one of you needed a transplant? Would you accept a life-saving organ? If you’d take an organ, shouldn’t you be prepared to donate?”

NHS Blood and Transplant surveys show more than 80 per cent of people support organ donation, but only around 49 per cent of people have ever talked about it.